Then there are villains who are Affably Evil. There is absolutely nothing separating them from being normal, polite people except for the fact that they want to Take Over the World or use human souls to power their Artifact of Doom. They're not the Stepford Smiler — their affability is a genuine part of their personality, not a mask. If they have underlings, expect them to be a Benevolent Boss. In one way, they're the opposite of an Anti-Hero. They may Pet the Dog on occasion, but won't hesitate to kick it with steel-toed boots the next second if it helps them accomplish their Evil Plan. They may well be a Villain with Good Publicity because, after all, being evil doesn't mean you have to be anti-social.

This villain will invite the hero out to tea, offer thema favorite dish, talk friendly, try to appeal to the hero's better nature, and convince the heroes that the villain's plan isn't worth getting involved in. Of course, if the hero still won't change their mind, the villain will remind them that they are, after all, still a villain. It may or may not involve a Death Trap, depending on how nice the villain really is when crossed. Of course, inviting the hero's mom out to tea might send a stronger message. The friendliness of said villains can serve to humanize these guys.

A Hero to His Hometown can sometimes be seen as this by other characters in-story, even if they're not actually a villain.

Anti-Villain: A villainous character that is morally in a grey area, sometimes overlaps with this trope.

Friendly Enemy: When the main villain of the work is legitimately friends with the protagonist.

Noble Demon: A villain with standards who never goes the extra mile to be truly monstrous.

Obliviously Evil: A villain that doesn't realize that he or she is a villain. It should probably be obvious as to why this trope applies to this type of character.

Punch Clock Villain, who, depending on what their villainous duties are, may not be exactly evil — they simply have a job to do, and their employer just happens to be evil. Of course, if that job involves something like brutally slaughtering innocents, their apathetic detachment makes them not much better.

Pragmatic Villain: A villain who may be affable for his own reasons. Some definitely overlap with this trope.

Faux Affably Evil, which is a villain who adopts an affable demeanor that isn't genuine, basically mocking Affably Evil. They'll chat pleasantly with their victims while engaging in Cold-Blooded Torture, or hum cheerfully to themselves while setting an orphanage on fire. Unlike Affably Evil characters, they're genuinely mean, and often do things For the Evulz, but it might not be obvious just by talking to them.

Good Is Not Soft, where a hero is genuinely nice but ruthless to their enemies. Essentially the good version of this trope which could be interpreted as "(very) affably Anti Heroic".

Harmless Villain, when the villain is not necessarily affable, just no one to be scared of.

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